The King is Back on the Charts!

INTERNATIONAL MOMENTUM BUILDS AS VIVA ELVIS - THE ALBUM BREAKS INTO THE BILLBOARD 200 Legacy Recordings Celebrates Elvis' 75th Birthday Year with a Groundbreaking New Studio Work Inspired by Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas    -- Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century celebration of Elvis and his music featuring the voice of the King in a whole new soundscape, is gathering worldwide momentum in the wake of its recent release through Legacy Recordings, in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  Released stateside on November 9, Viva ELVIS - The Album has debuted in the upper half of the Billboard 200. Conceptualized and realized by producer/arranger Erich Van Tourneau, Viva ELVIS - The Album is a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis through newly re-imagined versions of "Blue Suede Shoes," "That's All Right," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender," "King Creole," "Bossa Nova Baby," "Burning Love," "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "Suspicious Minds" as well as instrumental interludes based on "Memories" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (piano interlude). Three of the tracks on Viva ELVIS - The Album including "Suspicious Minds," the album's first single, were mixed by Grammy Award winning producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen).  Four of the album's tracks were mixed by Serban Ghenea with the remaining five mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau. "Suspicious Minds," the first single from Viva ELVIS - The Album, impacted radio in late October and is a bonus track on NOW 36, the latest installment in the best-selling chart-topping Now That's What I Call Music anthology series of contemporary Top 40 smash hits. USA Today selected "Suspicious Minds" as a Pick of The Week noting that the new version "...dispenses with its signature guitar pattern, starting like a cross between a gospel hymn and 'Everlasting Love' before transforming into something like a U2 anthem." Overwhelming international response to Viva ELVIS - The Album led to the creation of special regional editions of the album showcasing popular local artists "dueting" with Elvis on "Love Me Tender."  Regional artists participating on non-US editions of the album include Anna Puu (Finland), Lisa Lois (Netherlands), Amel Bent (France), Russian Red (Spain), Thalia (Latin America), Jessica Mauboy (Australia), Dani Klein (Belgium), Marie-Mai (Canada) and Aurea (Portugal). Viva ELVIS - The Album is already charting round-the-world, going Top 40 or better in Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and France while climbing the charts in Spain, Australia and Germany. Music critics and other cognoscenti have rallied behind Viva ELVIS - The Album, basking in the record's celebratory delights: Billboard ""It's all inventive and invigorating, offering proof that Presley's music can handle being all shook up" FORBES.COM "'Viva Elvis – the Album' a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis" MSN MUSIC "You've never heard these tunes like this before… ear-popping collages" ASSOCIATED PRESS "A new take on the King"… "'Suspicious Minds' opens with Elvis' soulful, echoing voice and prominent piano notes, then shifts into a guitar introduction that evokes memories of U2's classic anthem 'Bad.' The song has a strong drum and guitar component without losing the sing-along quality of the original." BLOOMBERG NEWS "A radical mix of his hits" BLOGCRITICS "And we're off to the races as Viva ELVIS - The Album turns up the heat and the velocity as it dashes through a representative sampling of The King's mastery of genres from Delta blues, gospel and Southern folk to movie soundtracks and Vegas pop" "You won't be able to help falling in love (with The King) again. Some things were just meant to be!" RECORD COLLECTOR "I loved it. A great mash up of Elvis, early, middle and late in his career. Great fun!" VIRGINIAN- PILOT "Elvis for the iPod age." Musicians on Viva ELVIS include Elvis Presley (vocals); Erich Van Tourneau (bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and keyboards); Dea Norberg, Jennlee Shallow, Sherry St-Germain, Stacie Tabb (guest singers); Patrick Lavergne and JS "The Flash" Chouinard (basses); Mike Plant, Steve Nadeau, Martin Bachand and Paul Deslauriers (electric guitars); Olivier Goulet (acoustic guitar); Guy Belanger (harmonica); DJ Pocket (scratch).  The album's horn section includes Jean-Francois Thibeault (trombone), Bruno Dumont (saxophone), David Perrico (trumpet), Jean-Francois Gagnon (flugel horn). When working on the music for the Cirque du Soleil production "Viva ELVIS," Van Tourneau spent more than 3,000 hours reviewing countless albums, films, concert recordings, interviews and home recordings of Elvis.  More than 17,000 samples of Elvis' songs – the raw material for the show – were made during the process. Working with tens of thousands of samples of Elvis' voice, Van Tourneau often wove several sequences and sounds into the same songs, sometimes changing details such as the key and tempo. In creating Viva ELVIS - The Album, Van Tourneau was looking to accentuate and boost the emotional charge of the songs with the incorporation of ragga, punk or hip-hop elements into classic recordings. In all cases, however, the goal was to respect and understand the essence of the original recordings. "I would like to acknowledge all of the incredible composers, musicians and technicians responsible for making this music with Elvis originally," said Erich Van Tourneau.  "The album Viva ELVIS would not be what it is today if not for their remarkable contributions." The postmodern studio masterwork invokes the spirit and essence of Elvis from a contemporary perspective while furthering the revolutionary impulses of Elvis' sound. Viva ELVIS - The Album re-imagines the king's own vocal performances in a broad variety of new musical settings. This new sound echoes Elvis' own versatility and ability to master all music genres, from Delta blues to rockabilly, from raw soul to gospel, from Southern folk to Vegas pop, while incorporating elements of garage rock, punk, urban and hip-hop. In celebration of all eras of Elvis' musical genius, Viva ELVIS - The Album includes songs from Elvis' rise to fame in the '50s, his movie soundtracks, his triumphant return to the stage in the "'68 Special," and his ground-breaking appearances in Las Vegas. Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, opened earlier this year in a specially designed 1,800 seat theater at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  A tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley, Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas: Elvis Presley.  Significant moments in his life – intimate, playful and grandiose – blend with timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. Elvis lives on Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century venue for rock's first and biggest superstar. Viva ELVIS - The Album - produced and arranged by Erich Van Tourneau 1. (Opening) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 2. Blue Suede Shoes (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 3. That's All Right (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) 4. Heartbreak Hotel (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) 5. Love Me Tender (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 6. King Creole (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 7. Bossa Nova Baby (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 8. Burning Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 9. (Memories) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 10. Can't Help Falling In Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 11. (You'll Never Walk Alone) (piano interlude) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 12. Suspicious Minds (mixed by Brendan O'Brien)

Elvis 75th Birthday Collection

Love him tender? This collection has a few films that fit the bill. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment announced the "Elvis 75th Birthday Collection," arriving on DVD on June 1, "just in time for Father's Day."

Well, I'm not sure that Elvis ranks high on a lot of dads' lists, but this seven-movie set is bargain-priced and it gives newcomers to Elvis a good idea of The King's films and the way he was marketed.

Like historical/period films and the chip-on-his-shoulder Elvis? Included in this set is "Love Me Tender" (1956), set immediately after the Civil War; "Flaming Star" (1960), one of Elvis' better-acted films, in which he plays a half-breed torn between cultures; and "Frankie and Johnny" (1966), taken from the song and set on a Mississippi riverboat in the late 19th century.

Like the sensitive, naive Elvis? "Wild in the Country" (1961) features The King as an introverted country boy whose writing talent is encouraged, and "Follow That Dream" (1962) has him bashful around women in a film in which he plays the oldest son of a stubborn Florida homesteader who fights City Hall.

Prefer the cool Elvis? Then "Kid Galahad" (1962) and "Clambake" are more your style, with Elvis playing a boxer and the son of a Texas oilman who pretends to be a pauper to see if he can still get the girl.

All seven titles are included in the set. The collection also showcases some of Elvis´ most exuberant musicals, including the beach blanket romp "Clambake." Featuring appearances from stars such as Academy Award-nominated Tuesday Weld (Best Supporting Actress, "Looking For Mr. Goodbar"), Barbara Eden ("I Dream Of Jeannie"), Charles Bronson ("The Great Escape"), Shelley Fabares ("Coach"), and Donna Douglas ("The Beverly Hillbillies"), the seven films in the Elvis 75th Birthday Collection celebrate the consummate performer that was Elvis Presley. He was a better actor than many gave him credit for, and did his best despite being pigeon-holed in roles that took him farther from the serious drama he craved. This collection spans the years and gives a pretty good cross-section of The King's acting talents, which range from almost laughable to surprisingly good.

To Elvis fans, and fans of Elvis movies (I confess, I'm one of them), they're all worth watching. Most are light entertainment, and people who went to the movies knew that when they bought their tickets. But they were well-done light entertainment, however formula the movies became.

source:
Blu-ray and DVD news
By James Plath
First published May 16, 2010

Elvis' Birth is Timeline Winner for March

The winning Elvis timeline milestone for February that Elvis fans voted as their number one favorite Elvis moment is #1 - Elvis is born at 4:35 a.m. in a two-room house in Tupelo, MS. For this timeline event, we will take a look at Elvis' humble beginnings in Tupelo, which definitely helped shape the man and legend the world came to know as Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, MS on January 8, 1935, to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Dr. William R. Hunt attended the birth, and helped deliver Elvis and his twin brother, Jesse Garon. Jesse arrived about a half-hour before Elvis, but sadly, was delivered stillborn.
Events in Elvis' childhood helped send him down the path towards music, paving the way for his rise to superstardom. In Tupelo, Elvis sang gospel in the Assembly of God church, creating his passion for Gospel music, which he carried with him throughout his life. On his 11th birthday, Elvis genuinely wanted a bicycle. However, his parents could not afford the bicycle, so he settled for a guitar. Elvis' talent was undeniable, but his hard work ethic and drive to succeed, no doubt, stemmed from his poverty-stricken background and his desire to make a better life for himself and his family.
Recently, Tupelo and Elvis historian Roy Turner participated in a question and answer session with Elvis Insiders about Elvis' childhood in Tupelo. Click here to view the Q&A.
Click here to see a full gallery of Tupelo-related photos.
Five new Elvis in Tupelo photos have been added to the Elvis Mobile app for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Download the free app to enjoy weekly Elvis photo updates, periodic video updates, the latest news on all things Elvis, the Graceland LiveCam, podcasts and more.
Each week in February, Elvis Insiders will have access to a new, rare Tupelo-related artifact from the Graceland archives in the members only exclusive image gallery on ElvisInsiders.com.

Elvis in January

January 13, 1969

Elvis starts a four day recording session in Memphis at American Studios. On this evening the recording session lasted six hours. Elvis recorded " Long Black Limousine and " This Is The Story"

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January 18, 1969

Elvis takes a break from recording at American Studios and rests at Graceland.. __________________

January 19, 1970

Elvis traveles to Las Vegas to rehearse for his approaching second engagement at the International Hotel.

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January 20, 1970

Elvis returns to American Studios for a recording session

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January 11, 1974

Elvis visits his Dentist and has dental work performed
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January 12, 1974

Elvis travels to Los Angeles.

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January 10, 1976
While finishing his vacation in Denver with Linda and his staff, Elvis has Dr. Nick join them in Aspen where he rented a house. The next day Elvis returned to Memphis. __________________

January 14, 1976

Elvis purchases three Cadillac's and two Lincolns for friends. He spends over $70,000.

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January 15, 1976

Elvis purchases furniture and equipment for his new Racquetball Court at Graceland.

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January 16, 1976

Construction is completed on the Racqutball Courts at Graceland. Elvis has his equipment and furniture delivered.

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January 17, 1976

Elvis and his staff play racquetball all afternoon at the new courts in Graceland.
__________________January 1, 1977
Elvis celebrated New Years Day quietly at Graceland with Ginger and Lisa Marie.

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January 2, 1977

Elvis returns Lisa Marie to Priscillia in Los Angeles.

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January 3, 1977

Elvis, Ginger and his staff fly to Harrison Arkansas to attend the Funeral of Ginger's grandfather. In The evening they returned to Graceland.

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January 4, 1977

Elvis is seen riding his motor cycle around Memphis.

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January 4, 1977

Elvis remains at Graceland and calls his flight crew to prepare the" Lisa Marie" for a flight to Palm Springs.
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January 5, 1977

Elvis flies to Palm Springs for a short vacation with Ginger and his staff.

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January 7, 1977

Elvis relaxes in his Palm Springs home with Ginger and his staff.

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January 8, 1977

Elvis celebrates his forty-second Birthday with Lisa Marie as his house guests at his Palm Springs Home.

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January 9, 1977

While still vacationing in Palm Springs, Elvis urges his dentist, Max Shapiro, to marry his Fiance. Elvis has Larry Geller perform the cermony on the spot. Elvis takes this opportunity to speak aloud about the possibility of him marrying Ginger in the future.

Roustabout

1. ROUSTABOUT
2. LITTLE EGYPT
3. POISON IVY LEAGUE
4. HARD KNOCKS
5. IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD
6. BIG LOVE,BIG HEARTACHE
7. ONE TRACK HEART
8. IT'S CARNIVAL TIME
9. CARNY TOWN
10. THERE'S A BRAND NEW DAY ON THE HORIZON
11. WHEELS ON MY HEELS

Kissin Cousins

1. KISSIN' COUSINS VERSÃO 2
2. SMOKEY MOUNTAIN BOY
3. THERE'S GOLD IN THE MOUNTAINS
4. ONE BOY, TWO LITTLE GIRLS
5. CATCHIN' ON FAST
6. TENDER FEELING
7. ANYONE(COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU)
8. BAREFOOT BALLAD
9. ONCE IS ENOUGH
10. KISSIN' COUSINS
11. ECHOES OF LOVE
12. (IT'S A) LONG LONELY HIGHWAY

Elvis Golden Records vol 3

1. IT'S NOW OR NEVER
2. STUCK ON YOU
3. FAME AND FORTUNE
4. I GOTTA KNOW
5. SURRENDER
6. I FEEL SO BAD
7. ARE YOU LONESOME TO-NIGHT?
8. (MARIE'S THE NAME) HIS LATEST FLAME
9. LITTLE SISTER
10. GOOD LUCK CHARM
11. ANYTHING THAT'S PART OF YOU
12. SHE'S NOT YOU